


Flukes

by ghostyouknow



Series: Pod People Verse [3]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Awkward Sexual Situations, F/M, First Time, Interspecies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-03
Updated: 2013-05-03
Packaged: 2017-12-10 06:48:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostyouknow/pseuds/ghostyouknow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gen loves Jared. Jared loves Gen. She's not quite sure how to have sex with him, seeing as how he's a merman and all, but how different could he possibly be?</p>
<p>The lovely art is by sagetan. Check out her masterpost <a href="http://sagetan.livejournal.com/26265.html">here</a>!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flukes

**Author's Note:**

> I once swore up and down that I wouldn't write a coda to [Pod People](http://archiveofourown.org/works/450712). Then snickfic asked for one, and I was powerless to resist. I sent it to her but had no plans to post it, and then [genteensybang](http://genteensybang.livejournal.com/) came around and let's just say I had a lot of encouragement. Snick gets a bunch of thanks, not just for betaing, and not just for causing this fic to exist in the first place, but also for its public presence. Huge thanks also to cherie_morte, who probably suffered more than any beta should have to suffer. And finally to sagetan, artist extraordinaire, who came in as a pinch-hit and still created [delightful things](http://sagetan.livejournal.com/26265.html) that I want to smish.
> 
> As with most of my marine-species AUs, this story has some basis in actual science, though I am not a scientist, much less a marine biologist. I have taken artistic license. For example, Jared, while he can appear in the form of a bottlenose dolphin, comes from a culture similar to matrilineal orcas, although I mostly picked-and-chose what worked for me and his characterization. Also, female dolphins have some fun anatomical going-ons as well (there is in fact some possibility that they can wiggle back! Keep it in mind for when marine mammal-based a/b/o takes over the world!), but that's one conversation Gen and Jared just weren't going to have in this fic.

 

Gen straddled Jared and kissed his neck. He tasted like saltwater, which was more or less a perpetual hazard of dating a merman. Gen was compiling a list of those: pruny fingers, ruined clothes, extra expenses related to buying and maintaining a crappy boat. “How's the tail? You need another towel?”

“I'm good.” Jared's big hands spanned her shoulder blades. “God, Gen. I've _missed_ you.”

Gen knew that, and not just because she'd missed him, too. When she left, it was always with the knowledge that she was leaving him alone. In the ocean. Where something could eat him, and she'd never know.  
  
She swept a piece of hair behind his ear. It seemed longer than she remembered. She trailed her fingers across his jaw, down his neck. His skin felt warm even under her thighs, where it was covered by a sea-damp towel. Gen kissed him, because even after months of this—these clandestine boat trips, kissing and cuddling with Jared, playing games, talking—the thought of going further scared the shit out of her. What if he thought this whole thing was too weird after all? What if she did?

Gen wasn't even sure how he worked down there. They'd had some pretty intense make-out sessions, but Jared had never been anything but Ken-doll smooth. He had _something_ in the area where a human man would have his crotch: The gray of his tail went slightly darker, forming a marking that looked like an exclamation point. A slit. Or a hole and a slit. Gen knew he had to excrete waste somehow, so one of the two probably had something to do with that. She didn't know how merpeople reproduced. She didn't know if Jared considered anything they did sexual.  
  
Affection worked differently for his species. Full-body touching wasn't reserved for romantic partners. From what he'd said, they didn't even have romance.

But Jared definitely knew how to make Gen feel good. Enough that she felt ready. You know. For uncharted waters.

“Hold on,” she said, and Jared's hands dropped to her hips. Gen tugged off her T-shirt and bikini top—when dating a merman, one had to prepare to get wet—leaving just her skirt and swimsuit bottom. Jared's hands drifted right back up. Above the waist was nice and safe for them both.

Jared made a soft noise of approval and nuzzled her collarbone. “Clothes are seriously stupid.”

“Says the guy covered in towel.” Gen knew he couldn't let his tail dry out, but _still_. Her hand dove beneath the terry cloth, seeking a dip, a bump, anything that felt even a little like a sex part. She found an, uh, something and teased her finger against it, pressing lightly against the indented skin.

Jared gasped near her ear, and Gen thought maybe she doing okay. Then Jared grabbed her wrist. “That's, um. That's not—”  
  
Gen's cheeks went hot. “Oh, God. I'm sorry.”

She yanked her hand back. Jared let it go.

“It's not like we can't,” Jared blurted out. “I dunno. Is that something humans do?”

Gen hid her face in his collarbone. “Sometimes? But not everyone does. And those who do don't do it _all_ the time. And you need, you know, _stuff_.” She wanted to wash her hands. Or go lock herself in a bathroom and cry. She started groping for her shirt with her non-idiotic hand. “It wasn't, uh, what I was looking for. Do you need more water for the towel?”

“The towel's fine, Gen.” Jared sounded kinda lost.

“I think that's enough kissing for today.” Gen practically jumped off his lap. “We could play cards?”

Jared was probably giving her one hell of a side-eye. Gen didn't know, because Gen wasn't looking at Jared. She made a beeline for the hand sanitizer and poured out a generous dollop. Then she put her shirt back on, because clothes were awesome and necessary when you'd accidentally fingered your merman boyfriend, and he thought maybe that was just how human girls rolled.

Twenty minutes later, Gen had almost forgotten about the whole thing, because Jared was trying to sneak candy from her pile of winnings (not that she minded; the sweets were all his anyway). Then she caught him in a bluff, and he looked so put-out that she leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Jared froze. “You were trying to find my _penis_.”

Gen's heart might have stopped. “I—”

“Why didn't you ask?”

“Ask?” Gen squeaked.

 Except now, seeing her reaction, Jared looked unsure. “I didn't know if you'd … you were the one who used to be worried about our, um, compatibility, and I know there's a _difference_ , and I didn't want to _just—_ ” He motioned with his hands. “Surprise you?”  
  
Gen squinted at him. “You've been hiding it from me?”

Oh God. What was he packing? A tentacle?

“Not _hiding_. Just not _showing_ you. You always wear clothes on your bottom half. It's not like you've shown me everything, either.”

“But you knew that I wasn't showing stuff!”

Jared's frown deepened. “Didn't you? I mean, you knew I had to _have_ one.”

Gen swallowed.

Okay. That expression? Officially a scowl. “I have a dick, Gen.”  
  
At least he knew another name for it.

Gen put her head in her hands. “Can we talk about something else?”

Jared reached for her hand. His palm had dried off, leaving his skin warm and smooth. He didn't have calluses, probably because he usually had no use for hands. “I'd kinda like to talk about this.”

“Jared—”

Jared seemed determined not to look away from their hands. “Do you want to?”

“No.” That came a little too fast, and also it wasn't true. Gen braced herself and tried again. “You know that the, um, stuff we do—”

“Making out,” Jared supplied, his voice much brighter. “And kissing.”

“You know it's sexy for humans? Even when it's not going to lead to, you know, sex.” That was probably confusing, and it wasn't like Jared needed to know the ins-and-outs of human hook-up rituals. “It means … attraction. Romantic intent?”

“I have romantic intent toward you,” Jared said, his smile huge. “It's weird.”

Gen didn't need to be told that they were weird. They were two different species. Jared had a tail. They were having this conversation.

“I told you before,” Jared continued. “We stay with our mothers and siblings. We'll mix with other pods to mate, but it's never a permanent thing.”

“Ours can be a permanent thing or not. It's really up to the people involved.”

Jared nodded, taking that in. His thumb stroked the back of Gen's hand. “Okay. But you're different. You're my home, and you're this other thing, too. Except I have no idea how that other thing is supposed to work or how you can be that and family.”

His gaze went distance and sad, if only for a second. Gen knew he was remembering whatever had gotten him banished. He wasn't ready to tell her what he'd done. She didn't know if he'd ever would be.

Something occurred to her. “So I'm like you're mom, except you want to have sex with me?”

Jared actually considered that. “Maybe?”

Gen glared at him.

“No?”  
  
“ _No_.”  
  
“I don't know what I just got wrong.”

Gen didn't want to explain. She squeezed his hand, letting him know that she wasn't _mad_. “A lot of the time, when two humans do what we've been doing, it leads to sex. Not all the time! But I was maybe thinking that that's where we were going with this. You know, eventually. And I wasn't on board at first, but now I think I might be, um, getting there.”

“Oh.” Jared's eyes went wide.

“But you don't....” Gen waved toward his towel. “I don't even know how you have sex. Do you have cloaca? Do you lay eggs?”

Jared blinked. “Eggs? We're mammals.”

“Some mammals lay eggs. Like platypi.”

“I don't know what that is.”

Gen reminded herself to bring him some books. She took a deep breath. “I tried watching dolphin sex on YouTube. But the video cut out before I saw any parts, and it mostly looked like I would drown.”

“I'm not a dolphin.”

“You're shaped an awful lot like one, most of the time.” Gen untwined their hands.

Jared beamed, then, all teeth and glow. “Gen. You want to have sex with me. Did you really think I was going to say no?”

Gen wrinkled her nose. Then she giggled, because _Jared's face_. “I was thinking about it. Sex. You and me. Now, I'm not so sure.”

He pulled himself closer. It wasn't exactly sexy. Jared trying to get around on land (or boat) almost never was. But when he had two hands stroking through her hair and his mouth hot and sweet on hers, Gen went _tingly_. “Is your towel wet enough?” she asked, when they had to stop for air. “Tell me now, because I'm not going on deck after I'm naked.”

Jared's hands skimmed beneath her shirt, rucking up the fabric. “I'm really, really good.”

#

Gen? Gen was going out of her mind.

Jared had seen most of what was available before, touched it, even, but he seemed newly fascinated with Gen's body and intent on exploring every last inch of her. Except this had been going on awhile now, and even with the extreme weirdness, Gen was raring to go. She hitched her hips up, seeking friction. Then she worried about freaking him out. From what she could tell, dolphin parts didn't look nearly as messy as human ones.

Jared pressed his lips to the underside of her knee. She was ticklish there. She almost kicked him.

“Is everything okay?” Gen panted.

“Does it always do that?” he asked, before he licked that same spot. Gen did kick him that time, but he didn't seem too upset. He grinned at her. “Looks like.”

“That's it,” Gen said. “On your back.”

After some scrambling and towel readjustment—the fact that Jared's tail couldn't get dry was a major pain—Gen found herself perched atop Jared, her hips straddling his towel. Except, Gen didn't really know what to _do_ with a full expanse of willing Jared. She nibbled his neck and thumbed one of his nipples, something she knew he liked. “You'll have to tell me what feels good.”

“I trust you,” he said, which was flattering but not exactly helpful. Gen bit her lip and slid her hand, down, down, her cheeks glowing red with still-recent embarrassment.

Jared gasped and arched back, and Gen had something hard in her hand. She met his eyes—wide and wondering—and looked down.

It was … pale. And huge.

Also, it appeared to be petting her wrist.

“Um.” Gen looked back at Jared's face. His cheeks were pink. Maybe he was nervous about her reaction? That made sense, because Gen was trying hard not to freak out just because Jared's penis was trying to hold her hand.

Jared swallowed. “Humans keep theirs on the outside, right?”

“They're also less wiggly.”

“Ah.” Jared bit his lower lip. His dick froze. “But it's okay?”

Gen poked at its top. It shied away from her fingers. Then it seemed to gather its courage and poke back at her hand. Jared gave a little grunt when it did. She smiled at him, trying to convey reassurance, because this was _Jared_ , and even though he'd been faster to develop feelings, not to mention way more willing to express them, she knew this was new territory for him, too. He had to be nervous that he'd scare Gen away.

Because then he'd have no one.

Gen didn't want to think about that. Jared being alone. Jared only being with her because he had no one else.

“Jared, I was willing to work around a cloaca. Or tentacles.” She traced her fingers along its length, which made it curl. Jared shivered. “Though I guess it's sorta like a tentacle.”

“No, it's not!” Jared sounded indignant, but he couldn't stay grumpy, not when Gen leaned down to kiss his left nipple, her fingers and his dick still engaged in mutual exploration. Oh, God. He'd be able to move like that _inside_ her.

“I'm okay, too, right?” Gen asked. “Mermaid vaginas don't, like, wiggle back?”

“You're good. You're really good.” Jared's huge hands pulled gently, positioning Gen above his waving dick. He pushed his hips up, probably using his fluke for leverage, and his dick did some kind of weird spasm, which would have freaked Gen out a lot more if it hadn't managed to massage her clit. Her legs trembled. This whole thing would be a lot easier if she could stay there—in the feeling place—instead of the place where she kept thinking about and cataloging _what_ she was feeling.

“Jared. Come _on_.” Gen rocked her hips, not sure how to proceed.

He looked surprised. Why did he look surprised? “Gen, I'm not sure—”

“I want you.”

Jared's face softened, but he still looked nervous. Then, he shook his head. “Oh! I forgot! Humans have birth control.”

Gen did not want to talk about birth control or Jared's complete inexperience with it. She was covered. She was sick of _talking_.  “C'mon. Let's do this. Tentacle and all.”

“Shut up, Gen.” But Jared grinned. He leaned up and tugged her down and kissed her. He'd gotten a lot better with his tongue. “Are you sure you don't want–?”

Gen gripped the side of his ass. Or what he had in place of one. The skin felt rubbery and smooth. She wondered if he wanted her touching the whole length of his tail. His fluke. She didn't do a whole lot of that, mostly because of the whole towel deal. Plus the texture felt weird. And dolphin tails had never done much for her.

 She realized she felt nothing but skin. They'd displaced his towel. “Your tail's going to get dry.”

“It's fine,” Jared breathed, even though it clearly wasn't. His dick pushed inside her, and it was all kinds of alien, what with the shape and the strange way it moved, almost like an elephant's trunk. Except that was another thing not to think about, and not just because Gen could see how it could feel really, really good. Someday. Maybe if she just—

Jared's hips stuttered. Inside her, his shaft stretched out and went rigid. “Gen!”

He came. Just like that.

Then he pulled out, reaching for his towel and cuddling against Gen's side. “Wow.”

Gen's nerves were still buzzing. She had no idea what had just happened. Jared had been overexcited?

Except he seemed to think they'd had a perfectly satisfactory sexual encounter, considering the way he was drawing her in and nuzzling her and telling her how much he liked her legs and also having lips during sex, even though it was strange to stay in one place the whole time and he wasn't always sure how to position himself.

“I should go re-wet that towel.”

Jared stilled. “You're okay, right? I didn't hurt you? Or scare you?”

She nudged his tail with her foot. “Were you? Scared?”

“I don't think we have the same sorts of fears.”

Gen felt sticky and a little sore. She didn't know what had happened, exactly, or what Jared had thought of the whole thing. Maybe mermen weren't known for stamina? Or mermaids weren't expected to get off? But she knew what he was thinking now, and it made her stomach float to her throat. “You're my home, too, you know.”

She'd bring diagrams, next time. And enough bravery to present them.

Jared kissed her shoulder, and then rested his head there. It was heavy and uncomfortable. He didn't meet her eyes. “I miss seeing you every day. I didn't appreciate living with you enough. Especially since we might never get another chance.”

“You were miserable,” Gen said. “Houses aren't made for mermen. You were helpless the whole time.”

“I met you. I'm never not happy that I did.” Jared smiled against her skin. “There was also the unlimited candy access.”

Gen realized that his skin was dry, except where it had been touching her or his barely damp towel. Mermen didn't have much use for sweat. Gen wondered if he was totally grossed out by her and trying to hide it.

“I'd love to go back there someday.” Jared's voice went soft.

“Come on. We need you to get back in the water before you overheat.”

#

Gen didn't make it out again until the next weekend.

She'd bought a boat with a small room below deck—just a low ceiling, a table and booth and enough space that the two of them could lie down somewhat comfortably on the floor. (Jared was a tad too long). Gen wasn't anywhere close to being able to afford an oceanfront property, much less a private island where she wouldn't have to worry about the neighbors spotting the supernatural creature swimming home every evening. As a boat owner, Gen now had to spend her days working to pay off said boat. Her art wasn't enough, so she'd started a second job.

Jared was right. They hadn't appreciated it enough, back when they could see each other every day. Gen hadn't even realized what they'd had until it was already over.

She sat up on the prow and watched the water for fins. It took a little longer than usual—enough that she'd started to worry—before she saw a familiar gray shape porpoising through choppy waves. She raised her hand. Jared jumped out of the water in a double-somersault, the dumb show-off.

Thirty seconds later, Jared looked a lot less like a dolphin. He held onto the swim-step and grinned, all cheeks and dimples. He was always _so happy_ to see her. “Gen! Do you want to come in?”

Swimming with Jared was always borderline terrifying, with him rocketing her around and twining around her legs and generally being an overexcited puppy about the whole thing. It was one thing when they were by the beach and another when the ocean floor was miles below Gen's toes.

Jared started to look crestfallen.

“It's kinda cold,” Gen said quickly. “And it's harder to eat s'mores in the ocean. Did I mention that I brought stuff for s'mores? It's not as good without a fire, but I think you'll still like them.”

“It's great to see you again. I missed you last weekend.” Jared smiled again, a little softer.

Gen tried to ignore the way her throat wanted to close up. It wasn't like she could call and tell him when she wouldn't be there. “I'll go wet some towels. Can you get inside without scraping your tail up this time?”

“Of course I can.” Jared used his arms to haul himself up over the side of the boat. He did it quickly, because even though they tried to pick the loneliest spots available, it was never safe for Jared to take this form. Gen had nightmares. Jared was photographed by a satellite. Jared got caught by a submarine. (He reminded her that, in his dolphin form, he had sonar, but that didn't stop Gen from worrying. Sonar wouldn't help him with satellites).

She went to fill a bucket with salt water, because that was easier than trying to constantly re-wet towels in the ocean. By the time she was done, Jared had already scooted his way below deck. Gen wondered if he'd get mad if she bought him a skateboard or something to wheel around on, so maybe he wouldn't beat himself up flopping around the deck.

She went below deck. It was always a little dim down there. Jared had seated himself at the table. He beamed at her. She set down the bucket, pulled out a towel and went to him.

He pulled her in, as soon as she got within arm's reach, his mouth seeking hers. Gen made a soft noise and tried to tuck the towel around his tail, before she was in his lap, saltwater soaking through her sweatpants. The table pressed hard against her outer thigh, because Jared all by himself was a little too big for this dumb booth, and it definitely wasn't meant for _athletic_ forms of recreation. The boat rocked on the waves. Gen tried to brace her hands on the table and the backrest. Jared's breath went short when she swiveled her hips, so maybe he liked pressure near the general area of where he hid that thing: his not-tentacle.

“Do you want...?” He gasped into her mouth.

Gen nodded. “Uh-huh.”

And then it was out and … attempting to help pull down her pants? It was definitely pushing at the band. Gen decided not to think about that.

“Hold up,” she said.

Jared stopped moving, dick and all. “Is everything okay?”

“It's great.” Gen kissed him, nibbling just a little. “Just, remember how you said you liked having lips?”

“Yeah—” Jared's voice broke off, when Gen stroked his length, base to tip. Of course, his length stroked right back, and Gen realized she was dealing with a more severe choking hazard than normal. Also, he didn't have legs. Which seemed pretty obvious, but also meant he didn't have anything to part, so Gen was going to have to drape herself awkwardly over his front or find a way to approach from the side.

“Why don't we move this to the floor?”

Jared nodded quickly, and suddenly they were tumbling in a pile of limbs and fins.

“Ooph.” Gen tried to get some air back in her lungs.

“Are you okay? I didn't bruise anything did I?”

“No. We're good.” Gen tried to smile. “Let's go slower next time?”

Jared kissed her, and, God, she _wanted_ him. It was fucked up. It was beyond fucked up. They weren't even the same species, and she wanted him kissing her, touching her, telling her how much he was coming to appreciate knees and ankles and toes. It would be a whole lot easier if his anatomy was even a little more human—she wasn't quite thinking of the non-human things as part and parcel of _Jared—_ but it wasn't like their issues were due to lack of sexual chemistry.

She broke it off, pressing her lips to his chest instead. She worked her way down and stopped at his belly button, mostly because he'd managed to encircle her wrist with his dick. “Um. How still can you keep it?”

“Still?”

She closed her eyes, reminding herself that screaming in horror at any point would no doubt upset Jared, and pressed her lips to the tip, which lacked the standard human's mushroom head.

“ _Oh_.”

That was maybe an okay noise? Gen peeped at Jared's face. “Good?”

He looked like it was Christmas and his birthday and also his world was collapsing. “Gen.”

Gen went back down. It wasn't all that successful, since she's never dealt with a moving target, much less one that seemed so unsure of itself. Sometimes it froze. Sometimes it tried poking back at her tongue, which quickly made Gen pull off. It tasted … odd, but not any grosser than Gen judged the human equivalent. Jared made all kinds of excited noises, and his tail slapped the floor a bit, but he didn't come, and she had no idea how to gauge his progress.

She tried stroking him with her hand, wherever he wasn't wriggling. She had assumed Jared was extra sensitive or something, so she didn't totally know what was going on. Maybe oral didn't quite do it for mermen? She knew they didn't _have_ it, since sticking to dolphin form meant sticking to beaks filled with conical teeth.

“Are you close?” she asked finally, because if he wasn't, she was going to have to come up with a new plan or face carpal tunnel.

He tilted his head. “Close to what?”

She didn't know what word to use. “Orgasm?”

“Do you want me to be?” Jared looked genuinely puzzled.

“That … was the end goal. Of what I'm doing.”

“I didn't know,” Jared said faintly. “Shouldn't I be inside of you? You don't get anything out of it this way.”

Gen blinked at him.

“Do you want me to go right now?”

Gen withdrew her hands. “You can go right now?”

He doubled up and spurted over his stomach, and Gen realized he hadn't heard her question mark. He flopped onto the floor, panting, and tugged up his towel to clean himself. Gen was already getting tired of always needing a wet towel in bed. Or on floor. Since mermen didn't go in beds.

“Is everything okay?” Jared asked.

“You can come at will? Orgasm, I mean?”

“Yeah?”

Gen breathed in through her nose. “So when were making out, and you never got hard, it was because you _decided not to_?”

“Isn't that kind of presumptuous? I didn't want to spring something on you when you weren't ready.” Jared worried his lip. “You're kinda losing me here. Did I do something wrong just now?”

“What was with last time, then?”

Jared ran a hand over his mouth. “There was something wrong with last time? Why didn't you say anything?”

Great. Now Gen had a depressed, hurt Jared, which was pretty much the worst kind.

Gen rubbed her temples. “Okay. Let's pretend I'm your species. How would you expect things to go? Mating-wise?”

“You mean except for the part where our whole pods are mingling? And we're trying to make a baby?”

Gen glared at him.

Jared threw up his hands. “We'd swim together for hours. You know, touching each other. Nuzzling, stroking. Spiraling around each other. That kind of thing. And then when you decided you were ready, you'd, um, present, and I'd—we'd mate.”

 Genevieve decided she didn't want to think about Jared and _mating_. “How long does that sex part last? Ten seconds?”

“Is this a trick question?”

“Does dolphin-me _like_ this?”

“I'm not a dolphin. And hopefully, since I'm going to swim with you for a few more hours until we're ready for round two.” Jared crossed his arms over his chest. “How does human sex go? I'm guessing it's different, and you didn't want to tell me?”

Jared had kept the whole retractable prehensile penis thing to himself. For months. It wasn't like Gen had a monopoly on discretion, here. “It goes a lot of different ways.”

Jared looked annoyed. “How was that thing you were just doing supposed to go?” 

Gen's flushed red. “It's a blowjob. I put my mouth on your cock until you come.”

“But I decide when I come.”

“I'm _getting_ that.”

Jared seemed aghast. “Human men don't control themselves? What if they go too long? Isn't that dangerous?”

“ _Dangerou_ s?”

“Well, you're kinda vulnerable during sex, because you're both swimming together, and it feels good. So it's hard to keep an eye out for predators. Plus the woman is usually upside down with the man swimming on top of her, so she has to hold her breath that whole time …” Jared trailed off. “Humans don't have to worry about predators attacking them during sex, do they?"

“Not so much.” Gen's mouth twisted. “Wait. You just come whenever you feel like it. You don't have an erection unless you want one. Do you—your—do you control all of the—?” She mimicked a curling wave with her arm.

Jared gave her the world's weirdest look. “It's my dick. Who else would make it do anything?”

“Oh.” Gen felt a little faint. “So all of the, um, stroking. That was all you? _Petting_ me? Why would you—?”

“Human men don't control their dicks? How does that even _work_? Do they just shove it in there and hope it goes well?” Jared's eyes rounded with real trauma. Then he shook his head, hair falling over his eyes. “God, Gen. Humans are _weird_.”

Gen started laughing.

Jared glared at her. “Gen.”

She shook her head, helpless. “You—”

“Yes. _Me_.” Suddenly, Jared looked furious and hurt and frustrated.

If this were a sitcom, Jared would eventually start laughing too, and then they'd laugh together, and somehow that would fix everything. But it wasn't, and Gen kept braying like a hyena while Jared looked more and more miserable. That look on his face was beyond unacceptable. It didn't matter, because Gen was having a _fit_ , and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

“I need you to leave,” Jared said, which was apparently all the cure Gen needed.

She gulped for air.

 Jared's nostrils flared. “I _can't._ Not without pulling myself around and bumping into things, and I can't do that in front of you right now. I need you to leave.”

Gen hadn't thought about that in awhile—how vulnerable and self-conscious he must feel out of the water. She was _used_ to it. How incredible was that? “Shouldn't we talk about this?”

“No,” Jared said. “I can't do that either.”

Gen nodded, feeling numb. She stumbled on deck and sat as far from Jared's usual path as she could, in case he wanted to pretend he could slip away in silence, and watched sunlight catch on choppy waves. How much did Jared keep below the surface? She knew he wasn't _without_ fear or anger or sadness. He definitely kept his secrets.

He'd never rebuffed her before. No matter what she'd done. Or what she'd been slower to understand.

She heard some thumping, followed by a large splash, and she winced and waited for Jared to surface.

He didn't.

Gen went cold, and then hot. She took off her shoes. “I'll go in there after you,” she told the ocean. “Don't think I won't.”

She stripped down to her bathing suit and jumped in, only to be hit with the shock of colder-than-expected water. She extended her legs and kicked until her head bobbed up and out. There wasn't much of a current. Gen hadn't surfaced too far from the boat.

She treaded water. “Jared!”

No answer.

“Come on! Jared!”

The ocean stretched all around her. Gen wiped her face, one-handed. At least she could pretend that she'd just gotten splashed. Not that she needed to pretend anything, since Jared wasn't there.

“Dammit.” She bobbed a little and got a mouthful of saltwater for her trouble, which made her cough. She headed toward the boat.

Something brushed against her legs.

“Gah!” Gen kicked out, legs flailing, only to realize that she'd probably kicked her boyfriend. If 'boyfriend' could in any way describe Jared. She stopped swimming. “I really hope that's you, Jared.”

A dolphin rose through the water to surface next to her. It turned on its side, all black eye and fixed smile. Its tail, though—the shape, the curvature, had changed, but Gen would recognize those criss-cross scars anywhere. She swallowed hard; Jared had never felt the need to hide behind his dolphin form before.

But he'd still come to her. That had to mean something.

She stroked a hand down his slippery back. He turned slightly, pushing his dorsal fin toward her hand.

She gripped him, letting him support her. “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh.”

He let out a long breath, spray and all, and then dipped his head back below the waves.

Gen hoped he could still hear her speak. “I'm sorry it's so humiliating to—to come on land, or on the boat, and I'm sorry I didn't realize exactly how uncomfortable it is for you. I _should_ have, because it's uncomfortable for me. I guess I had some assumptions about how you ... work that I shouldn't have, and maybe you had some about me. I'm sorry about that, too. God, Jared, I don't even know what this _means_ to you. You don't have romance. You probably have eight billion kids, because you've only ever had reproductive sex, and it's all _different_. Do you even want it with me? I mean, _why_ would you? Is this—what is this? It confuses the crap out of me.”

Jared moved his tail, slicing softly through the water. Gen held on as he towed her to the boat. She knew that she sometimes needed to wait until he was ready to talk. That didn't make it any easier when she felt as bruised and vulnerable as she did right now. “It's really hard to talk to you when you don't have a face that moves.”

Jared leaned into her, pushing her sideways. She petted his back, which he seemed to like well enough. It was kinda hard to tell. Because he was a dolphin. 

She realized that he was nudging her toward the swim step. What was this? Was Jared making sure she'd be okay before he took off?

She held Jared harder, but he was all smooth and hydrodynamic, and she knew he could shake her without a thought. She'd never imagined that he'd want to. “Jared. We can't leave things here. I can't get back out here for a whole week, remember?"

He slipped her grasp and turned around, nosing her with his beak in something that maybe resembled affection. Then, he dove.

Gen grabbed onto the swim step.

Jared surfaced in his half-human shape. “You should respect my need for space, Gen.”

“You _hate_ space.”

“More than anything.” Jared sank a little lower in the water. “I don't feel humiliated just being on land. A little awkward, sometimes, and it's frustrating that I can't move as quickly as I want to and have to look up at you all the time, and I'm clumsy—you know that—but most of the time I don't really think about it.”

She heard what he wasn't saying: _Why would I? I'm with you._

Gen chewed her lip. “I'm sorry I made you feel differently.”

She wished she could turn off her brain as easily as Jared. But she worried and catalogued differences. Her thoughts never stopped spinning.

“I know it's a lot harder for you to be out here. I mean, _look_ at you. Your arms are all bumpy. And if you get too tired, you'll—” Jared inhaled. “I'm sorry I got something wrong. But how can you say you don't know what this means to me? I'm new to this romance thing, and maybe I don't think of everything like a human would, but I want to be good for you, Gen. I _want_ you.”

“I want you, too,” Gen said softly. 

“I know. I'm not an _idiot_.” Jared gestured toward the boat, splashing water. “You think I don't know that you've rearranged everything for me? You moved. You bought this boat. I don't know exactly how it all works, but I can tell you're tired, and you don't have paint on your fingers as often anymore. I know it's harder than it used to be, and that's because of me.”

Gen pushed away from the swim step, launching herself into his arms and planting her mouth over his. He startled, and then his mouth moved against hers, and his big hands were rearranging her around him. She hooked her legs around his hips. He lifted her, perhaps with an eye toward increased buoyancy, and held her close and tight.

“I'm not sacrificing anything,” she told him. “I'm just doing what I have to.”

“I don't know how to be worth it to you.”

God, his whole family had abandoned him. Of course he was afraid of doing something wrong. Driving Gen away. He was probably just as scared as she was, if not more.

“You don't have to _do_ anything. You just are.” Gen felt herself blush. She wasn't any good at this sort of thing. “I wish it was easier for us to be together. But it's never going to be so hard that I stop trying. You … you get that right?”

He pulled back, just a little, and met her eyes. “I still don't know how I wound up with you in my life. But you're the best thing I've got going. I would've said the same no matter how or when I met you.”

Gen wasn't totally sure that was true—if he hadn't been exiled and injured, he would've been that dolphin she'd spotted once, if they'd crossed paths at all.

It was an awful thought. She held him harder. “I think we need to talk. You know, about the things that are weird to talk about. Or the things we think we already know. That stuff.”

“How do humans have sex?”

Gen hadn't necessarily meant _right then_. But okay.

“Lots of ways,” Gen said, only to realize she wasn't exactly being helpful. She searched for and found one of his hands, guiding it to her breast. “You know what we usually do? The kissing and the—” She gasped when Jared hiked her up and buried his face into her chest, mouthing at wet material.

“This part?” he asked, so innocently that there had to be a tease in there.

“Yeah. That. You know, we get. Excited.” Gen grabbed his hand again, pushing it beneath the waves and against her stomach, letting it slide down.

She guided him for a minute, letting him feel where she needed him. It wasn't perfect. The saltwater and chill weren't exactly putting her in the mood, and there was something a little scary and uncomfortable about having sex in the middle of an empty ocean. But Jared's body was warm and she could feel a low buzz building beneath her skin.

“Oh,” Jared said, a little startled. “Your clit's on the _outside_.”

“You didn't notice?”

“I'm not used to seeing them.” His fingers circled against it, applying a tantalizing, too-light pressure.

“Yeah. That's the best place for—but it also feels good to—”

A finger teased its way inside her. She trembled. “Yeah. I could use some more of that. Especially if there's both—”

“It's way more efficient with my people. It's like your clit's _designed_ to be easy to miss.” Except Jared wasn't missing a damn thing, and he knew it, too, judging from his grin. “We'll need practice.”

“Practice. Yes!” She would need it, too, to know what he liked—if he had erogenous zones where he didn't look human.

Gen was cold, and her fingers had pruned, and she wasn't sure she'd ever stop noticing the odd texture of Jared's tail. She was so, so sorry she'd hurt him. She was grateful Jared sloughed off that stuff so quickly, even though some part of her knew he hid a lot beneath his smiles. But there were good parts to them, too, and they more than tipped the scale.

He was it for her, basically. Or she wanted him to be.

Jared grinned. “I think I can work with this.”

Oh, God. Jared could go as long as he wanted. Once he got the hang of this, _Gen was going to die_.

She curled forward, awkward and slippery, her mouth seeking his. This wouldn't be the last time they completely misunderstood each other or that Gen hurt Jared or any number of other awful things. They weren't meant to be. They weren't even meant to know each other. That they'd met at all was down to a series of flukes. But they had, and they were doing this. For as long as they had.

A wave hit Gen in the face.

She spluttered. Jared removed his hand, choosing to brush wet hair from her face instead. “Maybe we should move this inside?”

Gen nodded fervently. “Me too. I can work with this, too.”

Apparently, her brain had instituted some kind of thirty-second delay.

Jared laughed. “We're going to be okay.”

“Yeah,” Gen said. “We really are.”  
  
 _Fin._  


End file.
